Review by C.J. Bunce
For a film inside the giant, magical world of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald seemed to come and go from theaters with little fanfare. J.K. Rowling‘s newest world is a bleak one full of darkness, and without her trademark happier, lovable, wonderful bits to echo the Harry Potter universe that draws its fans to this new series. The spin-off series may suffer from prequel-itis. Does it indicate that, like George Lucas and his prequels, the bestselling living author might benefit from letting someone else step in to edit these screenplays into a more accessible story for her fans? The original screenplay to Grindelwald clocks in at a whopping 304 pages, nearly three times the standard, and it may have been simply too difficult for the production to whittle it all down into a cohesive story. Regardless of what you think of the finished film, it is difficult to deny the amazing level of work that went into the production design. We’re featuring some great behind-the-scenes books that spotlight the artistry behind the film over the next few days, beginning today with The Art of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, by concept artist Dermot Power, who also penned the predecessor book The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The Art of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald showcases the work of fifty-five artists, with notations provided by each creator, including what they were commissioned to draw, what inspired the look, and where the piece belonged in the story. Art Nouveau inspired much of the film, coupled with a very steampunk industrial look that did not appear in the Harry Potter films. Highlights include blueprints for stage sets, concept art that influenced the various Paris scenes, the design for Grindelwald’s vial, circus images that didn’t make it into the film, and Newt’s half-flooded basement zoo.
Best of all, Power’s new book gets to the heart of what is missing on the big screen from both Fantastic Beasts films: more images of the elaborate, intricately stylized, fantastic animal creations. Unlike many “art of” books, the author pulls out far more fully rendered drawings, paintings, sculptures, instruments, 3D set builds, character designs, and visual effects try-ons–concept artwork that didn’t make it into the final film. He also provides clearer images of the creatures that did make it into the film but were lost in the shadows because of the dimly lit cinematography used in the film, like the ethereal half-animal, half-vegetable Kelpie.
The author also provides several images of Colleen Atwood‘s beautiful costume sketches. Atwood won the Oscar for her designs used in the first Fantastic Beasts film, and she’s a contender for another nomination this year because of her unique blend of historic and fantasy elements.
The Art of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald includes a wide foldout featuring the new prop magic wands created for the key characters, plus an attractive, removable metallic-embossed 24″x21″ frameable poster of the Celestial Dome ceiling’s Albrecht Dürer-inspired woodcut imagery, a spectacular visual highlight created for the film by the book’s author, Dermot Power. The film doesn’t do justice to the architectural and design work revealed in the book.
With a foreword by production designer Stuart Craig, the full-color, 264-page art book is now available in hardcover from Harper Design here at Amazon.
Come back tomorrow for a review of another recommended book featuring a different look at the production and art behind Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald here at borg.com.
